University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Pete Uhnig, P.E., WELL AP is an Industry Fellow in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction and Associate Principal/Mechanical Engineer with Clark & Enersen (Omaha, Nebraska).

What value does a real-world project bring to students?

A real-world project allows the students to apply concepts that they learn from their coursework, while encouraging them to make connections to concepts that may be outside of their prior knowledge base. They are exposed to new ideas and develop new relationships through collaborating on the project. This provides valuable experiences and partnerships that they can apply to their future careers.

How do you decide what projects to work on?

The Architectural Engineering Institute’s International Student Design Competition (AEI-ISDC) is the basis for the Nebraska Architectural Engineering (AE) Interdisciplinary Team Design Project (AREN 8030-8040). The project generally consists of the design and integration of building engineering systems with a new building type and location selected each year. Within the project itself, faculty members detail broad expectations for each design phase, allowing the students freedom in approach and execution. Rubrics and expectations are slightly tweaked each year to ensure that the students are maximizing their learning outcomes based on the project type.

How did this project prepare students for professional practice?

The project gives the students the opportunity to improve both their technical engineering skills as well as soft skills needed to succeed in a professional workplace. The scale of the project requires students to think critically about how to plan their time, develop a scope of work, and execute tasks. It requires constant communication with both classmates and industry professionals and prompts students to consider the most effective ways to collaborate. The students typically come across difficulties and complications within the project that they likely will not encounter until they are much more experienced in their careers, which gives them a unique perspective as they enter their profession.

What advice do you have for other programs wanting to add similar collaborative projects to their curriculum?

Industry involvement is critical to the Nebraska AE Team Design Project. The students understand the value of collaborating with professional mentors, and they very clearly raise their level of commitment to the project because of that involvement, increasing the knowledge gained as a result. Industry partners also benefit through exposure to students who will be new to the work force, as well as exposure to other professionals who are involved in the project. I’d strongly encourage other programs to provide avenues for students to collaborate with industry professionals, as the result will likely be beneficial to all parties involved.

Peyton Leute was a Master of Architectural Engineering student during this two-semester class and the project leader for one of the three teams. He is now a UNL MAE graduate and employed as an Assistant Electrical Engineers at Olsson in Omaha, Nebraska.

What did you like best about participating in this project?

What I enjoyed most about this project was the control my team and I had over its outcome. From the start, it was clear that our success was only limited to the amount of effort our team was willing to put into this project. We were entrusted with design elements reserved for senior engineers, allowing us to grow and inspiring me to continue developing into the best engineer I can be.

What did you learn?

This project presented many challenges and learning opportunities due to its size, building classification, and client standards. From this, I delved into advanced power engineering concepts such as schematic design for a mixed occupancy building with a surgical suite, switchgear design, and generator design. I learned building codes and best practices to ensure occupant safety by designing an Essential Electrical System (EES) that provides power during power outages to ensure patient and staff safety.

How did the participation of professional engineers improve the experience?

Having professional engineers as mentors and evaluators for this project enhanced our learning, mentoring, and industry connections. The building profession relies heavily on extensive building codes, which professional engineers understand well. Their expertise clarified design opportunities and limitations, enabling our team to successfully design a human-centric and resilient building. Additionally, bi-weekly interactions with professional engineers helped us build connections and relationships with potential future employers in our local building industry.

What do you think the engineers learned from working with students on this project?

One of my goals in collaborating with professional engineers on this project was to provide engineers with a new perspective on engineering problem-solving while also enhancing their teamwork skills. Professional engineers possess extensive experience in the building industry, often using past projects as foundations for new designs. By working with students, I hope engineers can revisit the basics of the engineering design process, avoiding the reliance on previous solutions and fostering a deeper understanding of problem-solving from the ground up. I also hope engineers realize that the best teams are built on hard work, mutual respect, and most importantly friendship. Achieving a common goal or desire is easier when everyone enjoys working together. Shared experiences, such as late nights and early mornings, create a welcoming environment that fosters innovation, collaboration, and cohesiveness, making any engineering problem solvable. I believe my team achieved this, and I hope the engineers involved with this project were inspired to step outside their design bubbles to develop teamwork skills founded on friendship.

Kelley Clouse, S.E., is a Structural Engineer with Thompson, Dreesen & Dorner (Omaha, Nebraska).

Why did you get involved with the project?

As a graduate of the UNL AE program, I understand firsthand how impactful mentoring can be to the students.  The program has done so much for me, so when I was given the opportunity to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained, I jumped at the chance to get involved.

How did you assist the students in the project?

I was the structural mentor for one of the design teams.

What did you learn from working with the students?

I learned that everyone learns by different methods and at different speeds.  I also learned to be more flexible in my designs and to open my mind to more creative solutions.

What did you want students to learn from working with you?

I wanted the students to learn how to tackle problems they’ll face in their career—to look at a problem (the project) as a whole, then slowly focus in on the major decisions (system elements), then finally work their way into the specifics (details). I wanted them to learn how to fail gracefully, how to handle making a wrong decision, how to switch direction, and how to handle similar mistakes in the future. Lastly, I wanted the students to learn how to manage conflict in and outside a team and how to listen to and respect others’ opinions while also championing and self-critiquing their own ideas.